Despite a 17-point performance from freshman Anissa Pounds (and shot 4-of-8 from the 3-point line), a 10-point effort from junior Jacinda Myers-Sanders, and an eight-point, 13-rebound performance from sophomore Caroline Eubanks, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (4-1) could not hold off the nationally fifth-ranked Central Missouri Jennies (6-1) as they lost 82-68 Sunday inside Tucker Coliseum.

“I saw a lot of good things in this game and we have to learn from what we did and get better,” ATU women’s head coach Dave Wilbers said. “We had a lot of good possessions and just couldn’t finish the shots. Central Missouri played very well tonight.”

The first half began with a strong offense from the Jennies until a good 3-pointer from sophomore Cara Neighbors at the 16:54 mark to give the Golden Suns an 8-6 lead, their first of the game. The next seven minutes consisted of two ties while the Jennies kept a steady lead.

It wasn’t until the 9:46 mark that ATU took its second lead when freshman Anna Lea Little’s first 3-pointer of the game gave the Suns a 24-21 lead. Central Missouri held onto a tight 28-26 lead with 7:00 to play in the first half. After a good jumper from sophomore Krisztina Velkey with 3:08 to go, Velkey tied up the game 34-34. ATU went into halftime with a 42-37 lead.

The score was tied nine times and there were five lead changes in the first half. Tech shot 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) from the field compared to Central Missouri’s 39.4 percent. The Golden Suns outrebounded the Jennies 22-15. Eubanks led all players with eight rebounds.

Pounds knocked down three 3-pointers to open the second half and give ATU a quick 51-41 lead with 17:32 left to go in the second half. For the next several minutes, the lead went back-and-forth between the two teams during the next several minutes, until Neighbors’ layup tied the score 73-73 with 7:34 remaining.

The Jennies went ahead for good and went on to win 82-68.

“Anissa is a reliable scorer and a great talent,” Wilbers said. “She really built our 10-point lead and I liked the way she played.”

The Golden Suns shot 42.6 percent from the field, while Central Missouri shot 43.1 percent in a game that contained 13 ties and ten lead changes. ATU gathered 41 rebounds. The Golden Suns held a 4-2 advantage on fast break points and a 32-29 advantage on bench points.

“Anytime you go through a season you will get a loss and you will learn from it,” Wilbers said. “We have to bounce back into conference play and it’s an important game on Thursday, but I have faith in this team.”

The Golden Suns will resume Great American Conference play when they host Southeastern Oklahoma at 5:30 p.m. Thursday inside Tucker Coliseum.